Montebello police shot and killed Jimenez, a kidnapping suspect, after authorities said he threatened his girlfriend with a gun and later pointed the firearm toward officers after a pursuit.

Authorities said the officers acted in defense of the public, themselves and a 3-year-old girl whom Jimenez allegedly had kidnapped. She was sitting in the back seat of his car during the confrontation with police.

Besides being armed, the sources familiar with the case said that Jimenez had been drinking and they thought he might engage officers.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, which is handling the investigating into the officer-involved shooting, said they believe the incident was "suicide by cop," in which a suspect challenges police in order to be fatally shot.